The Chain
by gleewinchester
Summary: It has been five years since Isobel Stevens has stepped foot in Seattle Grace Hospital. After the news of Derek's death, Izzie returns. Yet, she has found things very different than how she left them - including Alex Karev. Isobel Stevens has finally chosen to revisit her past, but she might discover that some things are better left behind.
1. Prologue: Back To The Start

Author's Note: I am sure that I am not the first person to write a _Grey's Anatomy_ story with the premise of Isobel Stevens returning to Seattle Grace after the cascade of events that have transpired over the many seasons, during her absence. But, I figured, why not write one now? I consider this to be a mere introduction and loose outline of the story I have in mind. It is definitely going to be revolving around Alex and Izzie, but I am unsure if this will be in the completely canon category or not…

SO if anyone has any ideas that they would like to contribute, PLEASE do not be shy! Many of my other stories have died because of lack of inspiration – but you guys inspire me to write!

Enjoy this little teaser.

The forceful rain echoed against the car window. Isobel Stevens sat in her car, anxiously tapping her keys against the dashboard. It felt as though she had been stuck in this routine for hours, yet as she glanced at the time, she realized a mere seven minutes had passed. It was a short comparison to the five years she had spent away from the building she was in front of at this very moment. She thought about putting the keys back into the ignition and speeding away from Seattle Grace hospital, relinquishing the thought of reuniting with her past to someone else. Why return now? After all, she hadn't even come back after the shooting. Oftentimes, she acted like she had never even heard the news, just to halt the guilt of ignoring the people she had once spent everyday with. Besides that, Isobel Stevens had practically been living under a rock in regards to the happenings at the hospital she once knew every corner of.

Until a week ago, she had done everything in her power to start a new life away from memories that were fresh in her mind. Putting her contemplation to a halt, she slammed her keys down on the dashboard, reaching for her purse. Izzie turned the rearview mirror to face her, frantically rubbing the tired lines underneath her eyes and tucking an unruly piece of blond hair back behind her hair. She had happily let her hair grow after the cancer, almost has a reminder of the time that had passed since she had won her battle. Taking a deep breath, she stuffed her keys into her bag, and slammed the car door as she made her way to the entrance of Seattle Grace Hospital.


	2. The Blonde

Author's Note: Guys, this fic is so much more difficult than I imagined. Please forgive any character or plot details from past seasons that I forget or mess up. As I said before, this could get OOC or far from canon just because I am currently not watching this season of Grey's and I have forgotten things that have happened in the past. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the first chapter! It is slow-going and I am unsure of where I am going but that makes things fun right? Maybe

OH YEAH. PLEASE REVIEW.

The familiar rush, the chaotic atmosphere, the people running frantically down the halls, it all came back to Izzie as she walked through the sliding doors of Seattle Grace. She didn't know exactly where she was headed, or whom she thought she was supposed to go see. It would have made much more sense to contact Meredith and extend her condolences about Derek through the phone, but here she was, standing stoic at the entrance to the hospital. She couldn't just burst into the ER, or pediatrics or general surgery. She fantasized about how that would go,

"Hi, everyone! Remember me, Izzie Stevens, the girl who survived cancer, fell in love with a dying patient, broke Alex's heart, and then walked away from all of you, only to never hear from me again?"

That would earn her a displeased look from Christina, a somber look from Meredith, and Alex would most likely ball up his fists and storm out of the locker room they all inhabited when they first began their journeys. So, no, barging into the daily life of her ex-friend surgeons would have to wait.

She glanced at her phone, 12:15. Lunchtime. "Running into" her past fellow interns in the hospital cafeteria was not any less random than her bumping into them as they tended to a patient, but Izzie saw it as her only window of opportunity at the moment. She remembered the way to the cafeteria almost all too well, trying not to blink an eye at the memory of herself and Alex socializing over a cupcake in an adjacent hallway. Before she knew it, she was stuck in the middle of a cafeteria overwhelmed with people dressed in blue scrubs. Her eyes scanned for anyone she knew, when she bumped into a girl with long, raven hair.

"Oh my gosh – I am so sorry. I was just – uh, looking for a friend," Izzie exclaimed nervously, bending down to pick up the Jell-O that had bounded off of the girl's lunch tray.

Izzie met eyes with the girl, and couldn't help but notice that she looked like she herself belonged in a modeling agency, her piercing blue eyes complimented by a pale pink lipstick.

"Don't worry about it. Is there someone, or something I can help you find? We do have waiting rooms you know, if the person you are looking for is a patient, or something," the brunette stated.

Izzie realized that this was a girl with a strong personality, and that she might have been a bit annoyed at the idea of a random woman bumping into her at her hospital's cafeteria.

Concealing a smirk, Izzie made it clear that she knew her way around, "Actually, I'm very familiar with hospitals so I think I can find my way around, thanks. I didn't catch your name, though. You know, just in case I do lose my way to that – oh what it's called – a _waiting room_ , that's it."

The pretty brunette, taken a bit back at Izzie's tone, reluctantly answered, "Dr. Wilson. Welcome to Grey Sloan Memorial, I hope you find who you're looking for…"

With that, Jo Wilson took her lunch tray to the conveyer belt, emptying it and returning it a pile. Izzie, however, realized she had been gone far too long, and couldn't help but blurt out another question.

"Grey Sloan? Don't you mean Seattle Grace?"

Jo turned around, apparently confused. "Uh no, Grey Sloan. We used to be Seattle Grace. Do you…know someone here or do you know the hospital –"

Izzie was tired of covering up her identity any longer. If this girl knew Meredith, she would be much easier to find.

"Izzie. Izzie Stevens. I…I have a lot of history in this place. I actually was a surgeon here with Meredith Grey herself. Miranda Bailey, Christina Yang, Richard Weber…Alex Karev, any of these names ring a bell to you?"

Jo took a moment to respond, and then it clicked. This was the blonde. The notorious Izzie Stevens, the one Meredith and April had chattered about in regards to the only name in that list that caught her attention – Alex Karev. This was the woman who screwed him up so badly he won't even mention her name.

Jo, swallowing the urge to burst into interrogation about Izzie's history with her own boyfriend, answered Izzie's question, "Oh my god. You're Dr. Stevens. I'll tell everyone you're here. If you want me t-"

Izzie nervously cut her off, "No. No. I, uh, I don't want – I don't need a welcome back party. In fact, I don't think it would be exactly a "welcome" party at all. I just…I just wanted to see Meredith. I'm here about Dr. Shepherd…Derek. I knew him too."

Jo, realizing Izzie was beginning to get emotional, nodded and said, "Don't worry. I'll just tell Meredith you're here. I promise. I'm assuming you know where the Attending's Lounge is?"

Izzie, clutching her coat, and brushing a hair away from her face, quietly nodded. She had been quite snappy to this girl at first, but now she felt bad for it, and was thankful for her help.

Jo smiled and said, "I'll tell her to meet you up there when she's done with rounds."

Izzie sighed, "Thank you, Dr. Wilson."

As she left the cafeteria, Jo looked back over her shoulder and said, "Call me Jo!"

Jo was thankful Izzie couldn't see the bitter expression on her face as she went to find Alex.


	3. My Old Roommate

**Author's Note** : Sorry guys! It's been a while since I've updated. This story is giving me enough writer's block for my entire Fanfiction career. Despite that, I finally got to the next step, which happens to focus a bit on Meredith rather than Izzie. I tried to include a little bit of the famous "voiceovers" that happen in Grey's, so look out for any italicized things, or whatever. Oh, and forgive my characterization of Meredith. I am finding her difficult to write, because I was never really invested in her as a character. I hope I am doing an okay job. Lastly, I am loving how many reviews and follows I am getting. I didn't want to write tonight, but then I thought of you guys. So keep reviewing!

 **Enjoy!**

Meredith flipped over the next page of her clipboard, making marks next to each patient she had checked in on. Mrs. Roberts, sudden aneurysm, Miles Drew, in pre-op for an appendectomy, and Lucy Harmon's biopsy results had just come back negative. Running a hand across her brow, Meredith placed her clipboard down at the nurses' station. She checked her pager. Nothing. Shoving her hands in her coat pockets, she started to get nervous. Whenever there was a lull in her day-to-day routine, it meant there was a window of time for her to remember the recent details of her life. The main detail being that the harsh reality was that Derek was gone. It was in the quiet moments that she remembered this. If a patient's heart rate dipped drastically low, or they needed a shot of epinephrine, she was healthily distracted. When everything came to a halt, she was forced to come back to the reality of the past few months. She lingered in her thoughts until, thankfully, Jo approached her.

"Done with rounds?" Jo asked.

Meredith nodded, "You look like you want to tell me something."

Jo started to walk alongside Meredith. "Actually, I think I have something worth telling you."

"I would tell me now because I have two patients in pre-op and a Skype call scheduled with Cristina in an hour…" Meredith said.

Jo hurried to keep up with Meredith. "There's someone here who wants to see you. She heard about De-" Jo caught herself quickly. She didn't want to bring it up, and she certainly was not close enough to Meredith to talk about Derek casually.

Meredith seemed unshaken; always putting on a strong suit when subjects like that arose. "Derek. You can still say his name, Jo. When people die their name doesn't turn into some curse that you can't have on your lips."

Jo sighed, "Of course not. I'll just get to the point then. She's waiting for you in the Attending's Lounge."

Meredith stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Jo. "She?"

Jo snuck a smile saying, "Can't surprises be fun?"

Meredith, not amused, responded, "I don't think I can take anymore surprises."

"Trust me. She's one of you. Like Alex…or Cristina," Jo persisted.

It didn't take much for Meredith to come to the realization of the identity of the "mystery visitor." After all, Cristina was in Switzerland, Alex was downstairs in pediatrics, George was dead, and she herself was standing right in front of Jo. There was only one other component to the famous team – Izzie Stevens.

Meredith, with a wavering breath, inquired, "You said the Attending's Lounge?"

Jo, realizing that Meredith now knew that Izzie was the one waiting for her, nodded.

Meredith swiftly turned away from Jo, making her way to the elevator. As it opened, a flood of thoughts tortured her mind. The face that came out of the elevator doors interrupted these thoughts.

"Hey, Mer, have you seen Jo?" Alex looked at Meredith, waiting for an answer.

For a moment, Meredith wondered why he was acting so calm, like nothing groundbreaking was going on. Then, she realized that he was completely naïve to what was transpiring, and whom Meredith was going to meet.

She opened her mouth to respond, looking a little unintentionally frightened. "Uh – I just saw her, near the nurse's station…"

Alex raised an eyebrow at Meredith. "Alright…Grey, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Alex said with a chuckle.

Meredith shook her head. _No, but I feel like I am on my way to meet one,_ she thought.

Alex smiled, and playfully squeezed her shoulder before walking past her. He turned around and shouted, "You need anything, you know where to find me!"

Meredith walked into the elevator, muttering to herself, "First I have to find your ex-wife…"

The doors to the elevator slid shut, and Meredith leaned her head against the wall. She expected Derek's death to take everything she had ever known away from her in an instant. She had never expected that his death would bring back the things, the _people_ that she had known before. How would she even greet Izzie? She hadn't thought about her feelings towards her in years. Should she be mad at how she left – the hospital, and Alex? Or should she be happy that she chose to come back, and that she survived the horrible disease that almost claimed her life? At the end of the day, it didn't matter how Meredith felt about her. She was sure that Izzie was not the same Isobel Stevens that had sat by Meredith's side in the operating view room. Meredith knew that because, none of them were those people anymore. Life invites you on its rollercoaster, and you see so many different things that by the time you get off, you aren't the same. You've been happy, excited, sick, scared, and reshaped before you even get to finish the ride. So, if Izzie had seen as much as Meredith had over the past few years, a whole new person would be sitting in that lounge.

 _Ding!_ The elevator snapped Meredith out of her trance, and back to reality. She walked through the doors, taking a right down the whitewashed hallway and heading towards the Attending's Lounge. It seemed like a mile-long walk, at the pace Meredith was going. Then, all of a sudden, the blonde hair came into view.

"Izzie," Meredith said, practically because she couldn't think of anything else to say in that exact moment.

Izzie turned around and met eyes with Meredith. She didn't know if she should be smiling or frowning, but she did a little bit of both. She couldn't help her eyes tearing up at the sight of her once friend. Izzie wasn't sure if this was because she was here to discuss Derek, or if she had simply missed seeing Meredith.

Izzie, at a loss for words at this reunion, rushed at Meredith an embraced her.

 _A hug is a common thing, a known exchange of emotion. Yet, many people do not use it to their advantage. Because if you really think about it, an embrace can be a way to hide the emotions on the face – an easy solution when words just won't come._


	4. I Forgive You

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I am excited because this is probably the longest chapter that I have written so far. It is very dialogue-heavy, so if that is not your speed, I apologize, but I tend to love to write intense conversations. You guys have been so incredible with your feedback and you are all so encouraging! Some of the reviews I got this week made my day! You guys really seem to want more frequent updates so I am going to try my hardest. Please always keep in mind that I have no idea what is going to transpire in future chapters and therefore things could appear to be going slowly. Any ideas from you guys are greatly appreciated!**

 **I hope you enjoy, as always!**

Meredith sipped on the insanely bitter cup of coffee that she had just brewed. She couldn't have been bothered to sweeten it, under the circumstances that she was sitting in the same room with Izzie Stevens, and they had not exchanged many words.

Izzie traced her fingers around the grooves of the coffee cup lid, and then began to speak softly, "When I heard about Derek, I – I thought of this place. More importantly, I thought of you, Meredith, and how – ridiculous it is that I just packed up my bags and never came back. I am so sorry that he's …"

Meredith leaned her back against the wall and set her coffee cup down on the counter. "I appreciate it. And you. I don't think that any of us thought we would ever see you again. It's been six years, Izzie."

Izzie sighed, looking down at the carpet. "I guess I missed a lot, huh?"

Meredith scoffed, "Yeah…yeah you could say that. You could also say that you're lucky. You got out, Izzie. Before everyone started to disappear…"

Izzie looked up at Meredith, "What do you mean, disappear…?"

Meredith tossed her head back, allowing a piece of hair to escape her face. "Do you want the official death count, or a summary?"

Izzie stood up quickly. "…Who else, Meredith? I mean, I lost George; _we_ lost George but – what about Cristina? And Alex, what about Alex?" She hadn't realized that her voice was slowly increasing volume, and she tried to relax herself as a result.

Meredith fiddled with her scrubs, and gazed out of the window, as if she was recounting all of the lives that the hospital had lost since Izzie had gone.

"Alex is fine. Cristina is in Switzerland. Izzie, how exactly did you hear about my husband's death? My point is, with the lives that we've lost over the years, how was Derek the first you heard about?" Meredith asked.

Izzie, feeling a bit embarrassed by Meredith's question, turned her back to her. "Bellevue. I've been living in Bellevue, just outside of Seattle. There, I worked in the ER at Overlake Hospital…yeah I know, I left one hospital just to end up in another. I guess some habits you just can't kick. Anyway, Meredith, you have to believe me when I say that I have tried my absolute hardest to keep my distance from this place. I can't – I can't bear to think about – Denny, or about Alex, or the cancer, or anything that happened while I was here! I feel _guilty_ that I have built walls so high to protect myself from the memories of this place that I never once made an effort to get in contact with you, or anyone else. But it was the only way I could escape. I needed a rewrite, so I did it."

Meredith looked at Izzie, who was pouring her heart and soul into this declaration of her story. _She was broken. She escaped the place that broke them all, but she didn't get to stay in one piece. Sometimes the present can grab you and keep hold of you, tearing you to shred after shred. Then, the future can tease and taunt you, reminding you that you could be torn to pieces soon enough. But there was a sneaky thing called the past that always followed you around, reminding you of the pieces that you have left behind, and kept haunting you for life._

Meredith couldn't help but feel badly for Izzie, and she was telling her more than she even asked for. But she wasn't going to grant her the part of the victim in the story. "I get that. I get that you needed a new start, a new place, away from all of us, away from the hell that you went through here. But, Izzie…we've been here for _years_. You may only be finding out this valuable information out now, but we have been losing people left and right. You don't know anything! And you wouldn't have because you didn't bother to check in! Let's see, there was the shooting, the plane crash, the outrageous storm…disaster after disaster. So, I'll ask again, Izzie. What was it that made you conveniently hear of Derek's accident? Or was it the only thing you saw fit to return for?"

Izzie stood stoic, alarmed and attacked by Meredith's words. But, remaining true to herself, she retaliated, "A doctor! Is that such a big deal, Meredith? I heard it from a doctor at Overlake!"

Izzie took a moment to collect herself, and lowered her voice, "I was on call at the ER, and it traveled through the hospital like wildfire. Your husband, Meredith, was a big deal. You might have lost a lot of people since I have left but I heard about Derek _immediately_. Dr. Redford, an Attending at Overlake went to med school with him. He knew I had worked here for a while, and he asked me if I had known – Dr. Shepherd…"

Izzie had to stop, because she felt the tears creeping up the back of her throat. She didn't want to cry, she had done enough of that to last her a lifetime. And, she was positive that Meredith was all out of tears. But telling Meredith, who was now a _widow_ , the story of how she had found out that Derek had died – made her unsteady.

Meredith saw her getting visibly upset, and interjected, "You – you don't have to tell me the whole story. It doesn't really matter how you found out anyway. The bottom line is, you found out, and you're here."

Izzie ran an unsteady hand through her tangled hair and spoke hesitantly, "It's just…telling you…being here…it makes it real, you know? It's like if I hadn't come here, if you weren't standing in front of me right now, I could make believe he was still here – at Seattle Grace. But that's not real. And I _know_ , what it feels like, Meredith, to suddenly find yourself breathing but knowing that the person you love no longer is. But you need to know, that there is no way that I would've hid behind my made up walls when I heard about this…"

Meredith placed her coffee cup down and took Izzie's out of her shaking hands. "I forgive you. I do. I can't live hating people anymore, or being mad at anyone. I'm angry. But I'm angry at the world. I'm frustrated at this big, grand picture, of life that paints everything to be so perfect until it shatters. So, if it seems like I'm mad at you, please, _please_ know that I forgive you. And I hope this visit lasts longer than you planned. Because I could use a reminder of who we used to be."

Izzie forced a smile, and nodded, holding back her tears. "Thank you."

She then remembered that unfortunately, she had to bring up the truth that she knew all too well. Izzie whispered to herself, "Sloan Memorial…", hoping that Meredith would take it from there.

Meredith took a deep breath, realizing that they had arrived at the death notice installment of the reunion. "Mark's dead. That was the plane crash. It took my sister with him too…"

Izzie felt like she was going to be sick. She wanted to close her eyes and when she opened them, she would be back as an intern. This way, she could have cherished everyone when they were here, because now, she didn't know who was left.

She nodded, trying to be strong for Meredith. "Let's get this over with, Mer. Who else?"

Meredith remained her stance, and said matter-of-factly, "My mom. Adele Weber."

Pursing her lips together, Izzie rocked back and forth, nodding. "Anything else I should know?"

Another voice entered the conversation, "Yeah, I got one. What the _hell_ are you doing in my Attending's Lounge, Stevens?"

Dr. Bailey stood with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.


End file.
